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The    Case   of   the   Democr.qt3   of    the 
Stats   of  Nevada 

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:0R  READUIG  ROOM  UNLI 


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-THE  CASE  OF  THE- 


PEMOeiiCTS 


-OF  THE- 


STHTE  OF  NEVflDfl, 


1 


THE   CASE 


DEMOCRATS  OF  NEVADA. 


SYNOPSIS. 

Honest  and  faithful  members  of  tlie  Democratic  party  siionld  l)e  pre- 
ferred to  dishonest  enemies. 

Corruption,  deception  coertion  and  perfidy  have  prevented  Democratic 
success  in  Nevada;  especially  at  the  election  in  November,  1893 

The  silver  movement  was  a  jilot  to  elect  railroad  attorneys  to  Congress. 

The  plot  was  hatched  in  the  oftice  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Company,  and 
was  promoted  by  hired  Rei^ublican  bosses  and  perfidious  Democrats. 

The  conspirators  seized  the  Democratic  party  oro^anization.  vilified  Mr. 
Cleveland,  falsified  his  record,  denied  Democrats  a  hearing,  or  opi>ortunity  to 
vote. 

They  now  seek  to  perpetuate  the  new  party,  yet  claim  the  public  patron- 
age as  their  reward. 

Will  the  Democratic  Administration  reward  and  strengthen  its  enemies, 
or  recosjnize  and  encourage  its  friends  ? 


If  the  sayinsJ-,  "to  the  victors  belong  the  spoils,"  is  not  to  be  liter- 
ally enforced,  it  must  be  concecled  that  organization  and  discipline  are 
necessary  to  political  success,  and  that  Democratic  i)rincinles  antl 
theories  of  government  can  not  be  promoted  by  dishonest  or  un- 
friendly agencies. 

It   must  also  be  admitted   that  party  traitors   should    not  be  en- 


trusted  with  party  power,  or  rewarded  for  their  treason  by  the  bestowal 
of  patronage.  On  the  contrary,  loyalty  to  party  and  fidelity  to  prin- 
ciple, should  be  recognized  and  commended,  as  tar  as  is  consistent  with 
good  government.  It  may  not  be  needful,  or  politic,  to  expose  and 
punish  political  perfidy,  but  it  is  perilous  to  take  the  perfidious  into 
counsel,  or  clothe  them  with  authority  or  power. 

The  State  of  Nevada  has  long  been  dominated  by  rich  dema- 
gogues and  great  corporations — money  without  principles,  and  power 
without  soul.  By  these  instrumentalities,  and  by  their  illicit  and  crimi- 
nal use,  a  State,  naturally  Democratic,  has  been  coerced  and  bribed 
into  choosing  Republican  officials — into  electing  Republicans  to  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States.  Now  and  again  an  abuse  more  flagrant 
and  infamous  than  usual,  has  aroused  the  public  indignation,  and  tem- 
porarily overthrown  licentious  power,  but  money  and  political  perfidy 
have  quickly  re-established  their  ascendency.  So  potent,  and  virulent, 
and  persistent  have  been  these  influences,  that  no  honest,  independent 
and  fearless  man — no  man  not  identified  with  this  interest,  or  supposed 
to  be  subservient  to  it — could  hope  for  political  or  business  success. 

Nor  are  these  influences  less  active,  or  less  potential,  or  less  bale- 
ful now  than  heretofore.  At  the  last  election  they  were  everywhere 
seen,  and  everywhere  successful.  In  addition  to  deception  and  per- 
fidy, bribery,  coercion  and  corruption  were  openly  employed.  Con- 
spiracies were  formed,  treason  plotted,  offices  parcelled  out,  patronage 
promised. 

Newspapers  were  employed  and  speakers  hired  to  falsity  records, 
misrepresent  candidates,  pervert  platforms,  excite  prejudice,  and  cre- 
ate and  magnify  fictitious  issues. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1892,  a  movement  was  set  on  foot  to  control 
the  politics  of  Nevada,  in  the  interest  of  the  railroad  companies.  The 
movement  had  its  origin  in  the  office  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Company 
at  San  Francisco,  California,  and  an  experienced  and  unscrupulous  Re- 
publican and  railroad  boss  was  employed  to  promote  it. 

In  its  inception  it  was  confined  to  the  election  of  Senator  and  Rep- 
resentative in  Congress,  but  it  quickly  spread,  until  it  involved  all  ofifi- 
ces — County,  State  and  National.  The  pretense  which  it  put  forward 
was  "to  benefit  s'lver  by  showing  unanimity  and  earnestness,"  but  its 
real,  though  hidden,  purpose  was  to  elect  men  in  the  interest  of  the 
railroads  and  trusts,  in  the  interest  of  high  tariff  taxes,  high  and  dis- 
criminative freights,  cheap  money  and  consequent  cheap  wages;  and  it 
culminated  in  sending  Stewart  to  the  Senate  and  Newlands  to  Congress 
— both  Republicans;  both  monopolists;  both  railroad  attorneys;  both 


opposed  to  the  Interstate  C(ininierce  Law;  both  ojjposed  to  forfeitiiii^ 
unearned  railroad  land  orants;  both  opposed  to  conipelHno-  raih'oad 
companies  to  pay  their  debts  to  tlie  nation,  and  neither  of  them  inhabi- 
tants of  the  State,  except  for  poHtical  purposes. 

The  men  selected  to  do  the  work,  and  who  assumed  the  control, 
were  Republican  bosses  and  nominal  Democrats,  who  have  never  failed 
to  betray  the  party  when  oi;)portunity  oftered  which  gave  them  profit 
or  advantage. 

The  masses  were  hoodwinked  and  led  step  by  step  into  the  trajx 
At  first,  "Silver  Clubs"  were  organized,  and  these  declared  to  be  non- 
partisan and  non-political,  simply  "in  the  interest  of  silver. "  When 
the  people,  who  were  unanimous  for  silver,  had  signed  the  rolls,  meet- 
ings were  called,  harangues  delivered  and  resolutions  adopted,  accus- 
ing the  Government  of  using  its  power  to  destroy  mining,  the  industry 
by  which  we  live,  and  denouncing  Mr.  Harrison  and  Mr.  Cleveland, 
the  then  prominent  and  afterwards  successful  candidates  for  nomination 
for  President  as  "gold  bugs,"  and  as  "conspirators  with  bond- 
holders" to  oppress  and  pillage  the  debtor  classes,  and  "viestroy  the 
value  ol  silver."  As  the  strength  of  the  movement  became  apparent, 
olifice-seekers,  demagogues  and  designing  men  joined  it,  assumed  the 
^   control,  gave  it  a  political  direction,  and   characterized  every  man  a 

public  enemy  who  was  loyal  to  the  old  parties. 
^  In   April,  1S92,  a   Democratic  convention  was   called  to  meet  in 

Winnemucca  to  elect  delegates  to  the  Chicago  convention,  nominate 
Presidential  Electors  and  candidates  for  State  ofiices,  and   lor  Repre- 
sentative in  Congress. 
.cs  The  instigators  of  the  plot  immediately  put  their  agents  to  work  to 

control  this  convention.  Delegates  were  appointed,  and  men  sent  to 
the  convention  with  proxies  who  had  abandoned  the  Democratic  party, 
and  who  were  the  avowed  advocates  of  the  new  movement;  men  who 
had  no  intention  of  abiding  the  result  of  the  convention,  or  supporting 
its  nominees,  and  whose  purpose  it  was  to  <  ontrol  the  convention  in 
the  interest  of  the  enemies  of  Mr.  Cleveland,  and  of  the  Democratic 
party. 

Against  the  efforts  and  protestations  of  true  Democrats,  they 
elected  an  avowed  new  party  man  Chairman  of  the  convention,  who 
was  afterwards  an  alternate  Elector  on  the  Weaver  ticket,  and  supporter 
of  Stewart  for  the  Senate,  and  who  voted  for  Weaver  for  President  and 
Newlands  for  Congress.  The  editor  of  the  Silver  Sfafe,  a  radical 
Weaver   man,  and   afterwards  candidate   for   Elector   on   the   Weaver 

31184^ 


ticket,  and  supporter  ol  Stewart  and  Newlands,  was  appointed   Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions. 

Mr.  Cleveland  was  openly  denounced,  and  resolutions  were  adopted 
exonerating  candidates  from  party  obligations. 

A  State  Central  Committee  was  appointed,  nearly  all  of  whom 
were  members  of  the  silver  clubs,  and  a  majority  of  whom  were  in 
avowed  sympathy  with  the  new  party,  in  open  revolt  against  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  and  have  since  used  their  utmost  endeavor  to  prevent 
the  election  of  Democrats,  secure  the  election  of  so-called  silver  electors 
and  the  return  of  '^Vm.  M.  Stewart  to  the  Senate,  and  election  of  Fran- 
cis G.  Newlands  to  Congress. 

This  committee,  when  assembled,  refused  to  appoint  Democratic 
Electors,  or  nominate  a  candidate  for  Congress  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  death  of  Mr.  Cassidy,  thus  denying  Democrats  an  opportunity 
to  vote  upon  National  questions. 

They  refused  to  levy  assessments,  or  provide  funds  for  campaign 
purposes;  or  for  advertising  the  names  of  the  Democratic  candidates. 
They  refused  to  appoint  meetings,  or  assemble  the  people  to  hear  dis- 
cussion. 

Many  members  attended  and  participated  in  the  conventions  of  the 
Weaver  party,  and  in  nominating  candidates  upon  the  Weaver  ticket. 
They  participated  in  their  meetings,  joined  in  their  processions,  and 
united  in  the  denunciations  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  in  the  colum- 
nies  uttered  against  Mr.  Cleveland. 

They  scoffed  at,  and  sneered  at,  and  derided  every  Democrat  who 
had  the  honesty  and  courage  to'stand  by  his  political  convictions,  or  dis- 
play the  insignia  of  his  party,  and  stigmatized  every  man  a  "gold  con- 
spirator," and  "  enemy  of  the  people,"  who  endorsed  the  National 
Democratic  platform,  or  favored  the  election  of  its  candidates.  They 
classed  Cleveland  and  Harrison,  Democrats  and  Republicans,  in  the 
same  catagory;  declared  that  the  Democratic  party,  at  the  "dictation 
of  Wall  street,"  had  "deserted  bimetallism,  falsified  its  promises,  and 
repudiated  the  platform  of  1 884. ' ' 

Nor  was  this  done,  as  is  sometimes  pretended,  in  the  interest  of 
Mr.  Cleveland,  or  to  carry  the  State  out  of  the  Republican  column. 
On  the  contrary,  it  was  done  because  it  was  popular;  because  it  paid, 
and  because  Mr.  Cleveland  was  not  believed  to  be  in  accord  with  their 
desire  to  coin  silver  into  money  at  the  ration  of  16  to  i,  free  of  charge, 
without  restriction  or  limitation  in  amount.  It  was  done  to  defeat  Mr. 
Cleveland  and  to  elect  Weaver,  or  a  new  man  who  would  pledge  him- 
self to   free   coinage.      The   histor)-  of  the   movement,    the  resolutions 


that  were  passed;  speeches  that  were  m<ide;  tlic  circulars  thit  were  is- 
sued; the  newspaper  articles  that  were  printed;  the  men  nominated  for 
Electors,  and  their  well  known  preferences  demonstrate  this. 

In  the  platform  adopted  by  the  so-called  "Silver  Party,"  Septem- 
ber 15,  1892,  it  was  declared  that  Mr.  Cleveland  had  "recommended  the 
repeal  of  the  Bland  Act,  and  the  utter  demonetization  of  silver,  and 
used  the  entire  influence  of  his  administration  to  reduce  the  money  of 
the  world  to  a  gold  standard." 

It  was  also  declared  "that  certain  enemies  of  the  tree  and  unlim- 
ited coinage  of  silver,  and  of  silver  mining  in  Nevada,  styling  them- 
selves Democrats,  had  nominated  anti -silver  Cleveland  Presidential 
Electors,"  etc.  And  that  "the  movement  for  silver  is  now  adv^ancing 
with  resistless  force  under  the  lead  of  our  gallant  standard  bearer,  James 
B.  Weaver, ' '  and  that  '  'the  people  of  Nevada  will  not  stay  the  tide  by 
voting  tor  either  Harrison  or  Cleveland,  the  representatives  of  'gold 
monopolv, '  " 

At  this  convention  the  so-called  silver  Electors  were  pledged  and 
instructed  to  vote  for  Weaver  and  Field,  and  Wm.  M.  Stewart  was 
unanimously  indorsed  for  the  Senate,  and  Francis  G.  Newlands  for 
Congress.     And  Stewart,  in  addressing  the  convention,  said : 

"  I  rejoice  to  know  that  the  people  of  Nevada  have  resolved  to  act 
for  themselves;  that  they  are  tired  of  the  trickery  and  the  fraud  of  using 
the  names  Republican  and  Democrat  to  serve  the  purposes  of  a  cor- 
rupt and  oppressive  gold  ring.  Both  of  these  names  have  been  used 
for  this  vile  purpose  so  long  that  they  have  become  odious  to  honest 
men.  I  call  to  mind  the  fact  that  Grover  Cleveland,  in  1884,  was  elected 
by  the  people  on  a  free  coinage  platform.  After  his  election,  and  before 
he  was  inaugurated,  he  immediately  commenced  an  active  campaign 
for  the  destruction  of  silver,  and  exerted  the  entire  power  of  his  admin- 
istration to  that  end. ' ' 

The  resolutions  of  this  convention  were  unanimously  adopted,  and 
the  remarks  of  Mr.  Stewart  received  without  dissent  and  with  great 
applause. 

In  this  convention,  participating  in  its  deliberations  and  prominent 
in  its  councils,  were  the  Chairman  of  the  convention  which  metatWin- 
nemucca  to  nominate  a  Democratic  ticket,  in  May,  1892;  the  Secretary 
of  that  convention;  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions, 
and  many  members  of  the  State  Central  Committee  appointed  by  that 
convention. 

After  the  convention  adjourned,  and  on  the  same  day,  the  man 
who  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions  of  the  Democratic 


convention  of  May  26,  1892,  and  the  only  professed  Democrat  on  the 
silver  (or  Weaver)  electoral  ticket,  wrote,  and  published  in  the 
Silver  State,  the  following: 

"  In  1884  Cleveland  was  elected  on  a  platform  containing  a  silver 
plank,  which  was  considered  by  the  Iriends  of  silver  as  pledging  the 
party  unequivocally  to  the  free  coinage  of  silver;  to  its  restoration  as 
money,  as  it  stood  before  the  demonetization  Act  of  1873.  No  where 
during  the  campaign  was  the  plank  construed  in  any  other  light.  Upon 
this  plank,  with  this  construction  placed  upon  it,  the  party  and  Cleve- 
land went  before  the  country  and  solicited  the  votes  of  the  people.  The 
people  responded  and  elected  him,  and  placed  the  Democratic  party  in 
power.  No-^ooner  had  his  election  been  conceded,  than  Daniel  Man- 
ning took  him  under  his  wing,  shaped  the  policy  of  his  administration, 
and  dictated  his  infamous  letter  against  silver  and  in  favor  of  the  gold 
standard.  He  betrayed  his  party  and  his  country,  and  basely  surrend- 
ered both  to  the  gold  trusts,  combines  and  syndicates,  and  endorsed 
the  fraud  of  1873,  and  the  corrupt  means  by  which  that  crime  was  con- 
summated." 

The  resolutions,  speech  and  editorial  quoted  are  in  character  with, 
and  a  fair  example,  of  all  that  was  written  or  spoken  by  the  silver  pa- 
pers and  orators  throughout  the  campaign,  and  the  Democrats  who 
participated  in  the  movement,  many  of  whom  now  pretend  to  have 
acted  in  the  interest  of  Cleveland,  were  as  loud  and  earnest  in  express- 
ing these  false  statement  as  Stewart  himself 


In  view  of  these  circumstances,  what  course  should  a  Democratic 
Administration  pursue  towards  the  men  who  betrayed  and  abandoned 
it  ?  What  relation  should  the  President  hold  towards  the  men  who  re- 
viled and  lied  about  him  ?  Should  the  National  Democratic  Committee 
recognize  and  confide  in  the  men  who  used,  and  are  still  using,  their 
power  to  destroy  the  Democratic  party,  to  create  and  perpetuate  a  new 
party  ?  Should  the  enemies  of  the  party  be  rewarded  with  power  ? 
Should  honor  and  patronage  be  bestowed  upon  them  ?  Should  the 
new  party,  led  by  the  enemies  of  democracy,  by  charlatans,  dema- 
gogues and  bosses,  who  have  simply  changed  their  names,  be  encour- 
aged and  strengthened  by  public  recognition  and  government  support  ? 
And  should  the  staunch  and  stalwart  Democrats,  who  were  faithful  to 
the  party  and  its  principles,  be  punished  for  their  fidelity  ? 

We  respectfully  submit  the  case  for  consideration,  and  trust  that  a 


—  7  — 

course  will  be  pursued  which  will  reorganize,  purify  and  strengthen  the 
Democratic  party  in  this  State,  and  ultimately  lead  to  victory. 

THEO.  WINTERS, 
JOSEPH  R.  RYAN, 
B.  F.  RILEY, 

Democratic  Electors. 

JAMES  C.  HAGERMAN, 

Candidate  for  Congress. 


Chas.  W.   Irish, 


Chas.  a.  Jones, 

Secretary.  ^^^t>-**<-v»^»-^ 

Reno,   Nevada,  January,  1893. 


"iro  tern 


311847 


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